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Pneumonia is defined as an infection involving the alveoli of the lungs. It occurs in patients of all age groups, but young children and the elderly, as well as immunocompromised and immune deficient patients, are especially at risk. Causal therapy is with antibiotics.1 Signs and symptoms
Symptoms may include:
Pneumonia can progress to sepsis ("blood poisoning") and acute respiratory distress syndromeAcute respiratory distress syndrome ARDS , also known as respiratory distress syndrome RDS or adult respiratory distress syndrome (in contrast with IRDS) is a serious reaction to various forms of injuries to the lung, leading to impaired gas exchange and if untreated. These are the main causes of death in patients with untreated pneumonia.
2 Diagnosis
For the diagnosis of pneumonia, an infiltrate on an X-rayIn the NATO phonetic alphabet, X-ray represents the letter X. Rontgen An X-ray is a form of electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength approximately in the range of 5 pm to 10 nanometers (corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 PHz to 60 EHz). X-ray of the chest is the gold standardA gold standard is the "best" test to determine whether something exists or not. The term gold standard is commonly used in medicine to distinguish the one test that identifies whether an individual has a disease process or not. An ideal gold standard tes. Supportive diagnostic tests are microbiological cultureA microbiological culture is a way to determine the cause of infectious disease by letting the agent multiply ( reproduce) in predetermined media. For example, a throat culture is taken by scraping the lining of the tissue in the throat and blotting the s of sputum and/or blood . Blood testBlood tests are laboratory tests done on blood to gain an appreciation of disease states and the function of organs. Since blood flows throughout the body, providing oxygen and other nutrients, and drawing waste products back to the excretory systems fors are generally performed when a pneumonia is suspected: a full blood countA full blood count FBC or complete blood count CBC is a test requested by a doctor or other medical professional that gives information about the cells in a patient's blood. Automated blood count Blood for a FBC is usually taken into an EDTA tube to stop often showns neutrophiliaNeutrophilia (or neutrophil leukocytosis is a condition where a person has a high number of neutrophil granulocytes in their blood. Neutrophils are the primary white blood cells that respond to a bacterial infection, so the most common cause of marked neu (except in some immunocompromised and all neutropenicNeutropenia is a haematological disorder characterised by an abnormally low number of neutrophil granulocytes (a type of white blood cell). Neutrophils usually make up 50-70% of circulating white blood cells and serve as the primary defence against infect patients). Renal function may have deteriorated if there is sepsis. Electrolytes can show hyponatremia (low sodium levels); this is often due to secretion of antidiuretic hormone by pulmonary tissue.
In nosocomial (hospital-acquired) pneumonia and the pneumonias of the immunocompromised, diagnosis can be difficult, and CT scanning of the lungs can be required to differentiate possible causes (e.g. pulmonary embolism). CT scanning is also used when the symptoms and physical examination point at possible different causes for the complaints (e.g. vasculitis, sarcoidosis, lung cancer).
